The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
The board of the Lower Colorado River Authority voted Wednesday to release water to rice farmers next spring if Central Texas' Highland Lakes, already diminished by drought, do not drop below 38.5 percent full. Full Story
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In another sign the Texas drought is far from over, the Lower Colorado River Authority is contemplating whether to enact an emergency plan that could cut off water supplies to rice farmers for the second year. Full Story
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At our Oct. 29 symposium on the future of water at Texas State University, Terrence Henry of NPR's StateImpact Texas talked to Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, David Langford of the Texas Wildlife Association and Laura Huffman of The Nature Conservancy of Texas. Full Story
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Despite its “Keep Austin Weird” slogan and passion for clean energy, Austin is increasingly attracting oil and gas companies thanks to its entrepreneurial bent and reputation as a fun place to live. Full Story
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Whether the Legislature will take action to shore up the state's water supplies, and what that action will be, are the questions that everyone in the water world is asking. The Speaker of the House appears ready to push. Full Story
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At the Trib's Oct. 29 symposium on the future of water at Texas State University, Kate Galbraith talked to former state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, Myron Hess of the National Wildlife Federation and Bob Huston of the Environmental Flows Science Advisory Committee. Full Story
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At the Trib's Oct. 29 symposium at Texas State University on the future of water, I talked with state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, and state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Full Story
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Ongoing efforts to fix the strained Texas power market will almost certainly have an effect on the monthly power bills for ordinary Texans. But there has been little discussion, or study, of the impact on ratepayers. Full Story
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Increasingly hot summers and new extreme weather patterns have helped activists raise awareness of climate change. But in Texas, weather that once would have been considered extreme has become commonplace. Full Story
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Texas schools have gotten creative about water education, sometimes even giving students low-flow shower heads and other water-saving devices to install at home. But funding is a perpetual challenge. Full Story
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The Legislature failed to fund a state water plan in the last session. And with a price tag pegged at $53 billion and lawmakers pledging not to raise taxes, finding the money is sure to prove tricky in 2013. Full Story
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Oil and gas drilling continues to buoy the state's economy, but the Railroad Commission, the agency charged with regulating the industry in Texas, is struggling with what one commissioner called technology "stuck somewhere in the mid-'90s." Full Story
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been receiving hate mail from around the country thanks to the gastronomic adventures of an Austin-area food blogger. It all started when the man’s unlikely dinner literally went bump in the night. Full Story
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A fracking boom in rural counties south of San Antonio continues to produce an enormous amount of oil for the state. But some of those counties are just now beginning to grapple with the consequences — and downsides — of the boom. Full Story
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Wholesale electricity prices on the Texas power grid will be allowed to go twice as high as is currently possible, following a vote Thursday by the Texas Public Utility Commission. What this move means for Texans' electric bills is unclear. Full Story
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In West Texas, the dry desert air makes for bright stars. But light pollution remains a problem as fast-growing cities, plus a distaste for regulation, mean that light diffuses into the night sky. A few towns in West Texas and the Hill Country are trying to change that. Full Story
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After addressing concerns about security and preservation, the Texas Library and Archives Commission voted to allow Col. William Travis' famous 1836 letter to be displayed at the Alamo in February as part of a special exhibit. Full Story
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As the Formula One Grand Prix gears up for its Austin debut, the event has become an example of the promises and pitfalls of trying to organize a carbon-neutral sports event. In the case of F1, the real challenge comes off the track. Full Story
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The Lower Colorado River Authority, the utility that controls the water in the Highland Lakes, has come under fire from Central Texans for a proposal to send water downstream to rice farmers, who were cut off earlier this year due to drought conditions. Full Story
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The battle between the Sierra Club and Harold Simmons' Waste Control Specialists nuclear disposal site is intensifying as Andrews County joins the fray with a lawsuit against the environmental group. Full Story
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